OH school district says Jesus portrait coming down

JACKSON, Ohio (AP) — A southern Ohio school district has agreed to take down a painting of Jesus amid a legal challenge claiming that it’s an unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity.

Jackson City Schools Superintendent Phil Howard said the decision to remove the portrait from a school hallway came because the district could end up paying significant legal fees and costs if it lost the lawsuit brought by two parents and a student.

American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio spokesman Nick Worner told The Columbus Dispatch that the district voluntarily agreed to remove the Jesus portrait during a U.S. District Court hearing Tuesday in Columbus.

School officials say the portrait, which has hung in school hallways since 1947, is owned by a Christian-based student club and represents private speech.

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